Jemma, 19, said: "Mum's recovery is hour by hour, day by day. She's still in the ICU trauma unit and will be for a little while longer.

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"We are at 10 surgeries and still [have] a long road ahead of us. But Mum is the strongest person I know, so she will keep fighting."

Jemma said information on her mother's recovery and release date remained unclear.

"'How long is a piece of string' is what we keep getting told,'' she said. ''Every patient is different and there’s so many variables. So there’s no way they could give us a time or date as to when Mum will be out of hospital."

Paul McDonald, 46, was attacked by the deer as he tried to feed it. While the couple's 17-year-old son, Ethan, watched on, Mandi entered the enclosure and was also attacked, before police shot the deer to protect paramedics trying to save the couple.

Almost $35,000 has been donated to the GoFundMe page set up by Jemma and Ethan, while the Moyhu Hotel has organised a fundraising event for the family on May 19.

Mandi with her husband Paul McDonald, 46, who was feeding the family's pet deer when it attacked and killed him.

Anita Cook, who owns Moyhu's Ineeta Cafe, where Mandi worked, is organising the $25-a-head fundraiser. She said thousands of dollars' worth of auction items had already been donated for the event.

"We've had so many items donated; it's impossible to even guess how many,'' she said. ''We've got things from a helicopter ride worth $2800 to local plumbers and electricians offering their services," she said.

There will also be food, beverages and live music at the event.

Ms Cook said Moyhu residents were still in shock at the incident.

"I think everybody is wanting to know how Mandi is doing, and there's so much sadness for losing Paul,'' she said. ''I still can’t believe it; I’m still coming to grips with the fact this has actually happened.''

"Then it turns into, 'What can we do?' And we decided that this fundraiser is what can we do."

Ms Cook said she hoped to sell 500 tickets, with all funds to go to Mandi and her family.

Jemma, 19, said she was "so grateful" for the support for her and her brother Ethan.

Jemma said she and Ethan were "so grateful for what people are doing for our family".

"Dad touched so many people's lives in Moyhu and the surrounding community, so it’s nice to see everyone rallying together for us,'' she said.

"Nothing will ever take away the pain of losing Dad and nearly losing Mum, too, but knowing that our small country town has our backs in the whole journey certainly helps."

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Jemma paid tribute to her mother's courage.

"Mum you are fighting harder than I could have ever possibly imagined and I’ll be here every single step of the way," she wrote. "The last 14 days have been absolute hell without you Dad, but I will make you proud ... I promise."